Attention all business owners! Do you know the answer to this question: Who gets to keep the website after you divorce your webmaster?

Just like in a marriage, it all depends on the pre-nuptial agreement (contract). Do you have one?

My personal disclaimer: Some of this information may be about legal issues; however this article is not intended as a substitute for legal advice. I am not an attorney nor do I play one on webTV therefore you should consult with an attorney familiar with the laws concerning internet and intellectual property.

Ok, now on with the story, the short version. . .

Here's the situation, for whatever reason the client decided not to pay their annual bill for web hosting services. Even though there were several attempts to reach the client the bill went unpaid for more than 90 days. As a result, the hosting was cancelled and the site was removed from the server.

Several months later the client sent this exact message: "you have my website and I need you to let me know how to get it back, like I said before I paid you money to build it so....? that money had nothing to do with hosting or anything".

Just because you paid for the development of your website does not mean you own it. There are Intellectual Property laws designed to protect the creator and to encourage the creator to create. If you hired a company they own the software development and website design produced by its employees. If you hired an independent contractor you must obtain a written "assignment" of the copyright in the commissioned work from them.

Most business owners unknowingly give their webmaster complete control over their business website. Even if you don't have a pre-nuptial agreement (contract) or own your website you can still maintain some control. While you and your webmaster are honeymooning be sure you can document the answer to these questions:

1. What software was used to develop the website?

• Exact name
• Version
• Software website

2. How to access the code?

3. Where is the code located on the server?

4. How to change the content?

• Graphics
• Text

5. How to create a weekly back up?

6. How to grant access to additional users?

7. How to obtain the master copies of your website design?

As a business owner, how many people realize their webmaster is like their spouse? Voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce), not many! Just like in marriage a prenuptial agreement (contract) is a practical solution to dealing with the risks and problematic topic of who gets to keep the website after your divorce.

If you have decided to use website templates to create your ideal website you have taken a step in the right direction. This is especially so if you don't want to spend thousands of dollars on custom templates and do not have the ability to create them on your own. Many people think that once they have the templates they are ready to roll, and you are in a certain sense. But, there are some things that you should do to make sure that you preserve the integrity of the template so you can use it again and again if needed.

After You Purchase Your Flash Templates

There are many sources for web templates and whether you buy them to install on your computer or you download them the very first thing that you should do is save them in their original format. So many people open the template and they are ready to jump right in and start designing their website right away that they don't take a moment to save the template the way it is.

The reason that you want to save the template "as is" is because many who are new to working with templates end up hitting enter one too many times or they end up changing the font or changing the format of the page and they cannot get it back. It does take some practice to work with templates without disturbing their original integrity and if you know that you have the original template saved you don't have to stress out every time you distort the template somehow.

The great thing is that a lot of the templates out there come with some basic directions. If this is the first time you will be using templates you should take a look at the instructions and see what you can learn from them. Many times simply glancing at the instructions before you dive right in will allow you to decipher between the different layers of the template so you are able to add text and images with ease.

Slow Down and Then Begin

Many people get their templates and they want to rush into building their website. Whether this is your first time using templates or building a website or the 10th you need to take a deep breath and then begin. If you rush into building your website you won't give it the attention that it needs and the quality will therefore be less than you had always imagined that it would be. If you slow down you will be able to give attention to the small details that really make a webpage functional and aesthetically pleasing. It doesn't matter what sort of webpage you are building, slowing down and preserving the integrity of the template is important so you can return to it again and again or avoid the frustration of trying to fix what has been distorted through the trial and error of using a website template in a rush.

I had to run into the supermarket the other day to pick up a few items. Unfortunately for me it wasn't the store I do the normal weekly shopping at, so I was unfamiliar with where everything was. To make matters worse it was one of those massive stores where you can buy groceries and probably find a contractor to build a house for you.

Nothing bothers me more when I walk into one of those huge stores and have to spend a good hour to find a gallon of milk. Your website should not be this way either.

I have listed a few ideas that should help make your website more user friendly to your customers so they are not overwhelmed when they type in your web address, and at the same time, know they can trust you.

First and foremost you need visitors to your website. With little effort you can have about 200 to 300 unique visitors each day. That can be done just by registering your website on Google, Yahoo, Ask and the other search engines. However the goal here is to attract customers not just visitors. You will need to get those numbers up. You need to find ways to attract new customers. A good way is to advertise. If you are on a limited budget sign up for an advertising website`s free account at first, and then as sales pick up, move over to their premium account. There are a variety of advertising websites out there. Develop a plan to use them all.

Once you have visitors you need to make your website user friendly. In other words easy for someone to navigate around and find what they are looking for. Hire yourself an experienced web designer. A real good one is worth their weight in gold. They will design you a website that is not only user friendly, but also one where visitors will want to continually come back to and tell their friends about. Once that happens, the sky is the limit.

Build trust and confidence with your customers. Your customers want to know that you are not some fly by night web company. They want to know if they order from you, you will deliver and if something goes wrong, they can get a hold of you. Put on your website a contact page. Let your visitors see how they can get a hold of you via email, phone, physical address and so on. Do not forget to respond promptly to your customers when they do contact you. In today`s world of "I need it yesterday", people will move on to your competitors if they don`t hear back from you within the same day, sometimes faster.

To go along with the above tip and to add on to the trust factor, provide detailed information about your company. Post your company history, your mission statement, and what means the most to you about being in business as it relates to your customers.

So there you have it a few tips to help your website out. Implement them to build a better online presence.

By: Bruce A. Tucker